Conventional display fixtures for greeting cards or other similar products are often shipped to retail stores and assembled on-site. The individuals who actually assemble the display fixtures may not be mechanically skilled, and the chore of assembling the fixtures can be time consuming. While simplicity of assembly and weight reduction are significant factors in the design of display fixtures, those features can often be improved only at the cost of achieve structural integrity. After the display fixture is assembled, the strength and balance of the fixture are usually tested by inadvertent abuse from customers, shopping carts, floor-cleaning machines, and other various loads placed upon the fixture. Because display fixtures must be able to withstand such treatment, conventional display fixtures are comparatively heavy, cumbersome, and typically include many component parts and fasteners.
Conventional display fixtures generally include panels that are attached to an internal support frame. The panels, by themselves, are usually not designed to withstand the necessary loads or be self-supporting. The underlying support frame is often made from wood or metal and is positioned between the backsides of two opposing panels (while the front side of each panel is used to display products). On-wall display fixtures often include internal support frames positioned between the backside of the panel and the wall. In either case, the support frame is secured to the floor or nearby wall, and each panel relies on that frame for structural stability.
The support frames themselves add weight and complexity to the assembly. They are generally heavy and attaching panels to the support frame typically requires drilling, screwing, bolting, or other mechanical fixation. Consequently, on-site construction of these prior art display fixtures may require several hours.
Manufacturing and packaging the support frame and the parts necessary to assemble the fixture add to the total cost of the display fixture. Furthermore, because the display fixtures are often shipped to the retail store in an unassembled state (for later on site assembly), the excess weight and a space occupied by the support frame increases the transportation and assembly cost.